Ger Nash: 'When you have attacking players, the worst thing you can do is over-coach them'

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

Just as Cork City lost one teenage wonderkid to injury, another emerged with a goal on his full debut.
Cathal O'Sullivan's cruciate rupture remains a major blow to the Leesiders, but it created an opening for 17-year-old Matthew Murray to get his first start.
It took the winger just one minute and 47 seconds to find the net before earning the free-kick for Kaedyn Kamara's winning goal to stamp their ticket to the FAI Cup quarter-finals.
Ger Nash has earned his reputation by developing young players, and he knows the mistakes to avoid with a raw talent like Murray.
'When you have attacking players, the worst thing you can do is over-coach them and take that out of their game,' said Nash after the 2-1 win over Waterford.
'He's a confident lad, and that's really important. He wants to attack people. He can go on the right foot, he can go on his left foot.
'He played against Celtic in a friendly, and it didn't faze him. You can see from his start that he clearly wasn't nervous in the first couple of minutes, that's for sure. With the composure he showed, it was a wonderful finish.
'It's a great story. He's a kid, a baby, in a huge pressure game, and it's a fantastic goal.
'Look, there's lots for him to work on. We have to go through the goal we conceded with him as well. There's little bits of information, but I'm just so pleased for him and proud.'
City's other goalscorer, Kamara, is another teenager who was making his fourth substitute appearance since joining on loan from Preston North End.
'Kaedyn has had to be patient since he came to the club. But he's come on in the last three games and had a big impact,' said Nash.
'He's had a big impact out of possession, and then the extra bit of quality to win the game for us.
'I'm just so pleased. They work hard every day. Both of them have not been in the team. They got their opportunity and, boy, did they take it.'
Seven of the 14 players City used against Waterford are aged 20 or under. The entire team had an average age of 22.
Nash paid tribute to academy chief Liam Kearney, who has helped to develop wingers like O'Sullivan, Murray, and Josh Fitzpatrick, who put in a standout performance down the left flank.
With their relegation battle in mind, Nash stressed: 'We're a new team forming under real pressure.
'We know where we are in the league, we know how many games we have left, but we are forming a new identity. You can see that.
'We know we need to form quick, but we know what we have. What we have is a group who care, and they're showing that every week at the moment.'
Nash stayed vague on injury updates. Having played through the pain barrier in recent weeks, Alex Nolan needed a rest. Harry Nevin limped off, while Fiacre Kelleher, Greg Bolger and Charlie Lyons remain out. In more positive news, David Odumosu and Seán Murray returned to the bench.
When asked if he expected any further players to be fit for their trip to Bohemians, Nash replied: 'I'd like to have them all back, but unfortunately, I won't.
'We need to come in tomorrow morning, and we'll have to assess everything.'